New U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert tells Rockwall GOP we should return to Reagan’s strategy

Newly-announced U.S. Senate candidate and former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert made his first official campaign stop at the Rockwall County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner Saturday evening at the Hilton Bella Harbor Hotel.

Introduced as the featured speaker by 16-term Congressman Ralph Hall, the candidate praised the late President and called for our political leaders in Washington D.C.Â to adopt the same philosophy which he used to govern.

The candidate, who just resigned Friday, told the full ballroom of over 300 people that our nation’s leaders must become more fiscally responsible, pass a balanced-budget amendment and stop over-spending, over-taxing and over-regulating Americans if we’re ever going to emerge from the financial crisis we’re currently facing.

“Frankly, it’s no longer the American Dream for too many of us,” he said. “We’re $14 trillion in debt. I’m not even smart enough to know what a trillion dollars is,” said the former CEO of the world’s largest construction company.

“We have lost all concept of (financial) discipline. Congress is passing too many spending programs just to get elected to appease constituents. Unless we address our nation’s debt and fiscal spending now, our grandchildren are the ones who are going to suffer.”

He said he is glad to see that the federal tax cuts have been extended another two years, but cautioned that Congress and Pres. Obama missed the point.

“What about in two years? Then what? Business doesn’t do that,” he explained. “Too many of our leaders don’t know how to run a business. We have to create jobs.”

He said what the nation needs instead is a strategy, just as a business would adopt, and as Pres. Reagan had.

“What we need is a strategy and a litmus test, just like Ronald Reagan had when he was president. Reagan had a set of principles that guided him.”

“He would ask himself if the legislation which made it to his desk would really help families. If it didn’t, he would throw it in the trash can next to his desk.”

Leppert explained that he knew this because he worked for Reagan in the White House for a period of time and became somewhat acquainted.

“I can assure you that Pres. Reagan was as much a gentleman in person as he was in public.”

Leppert also stated that he is pro-life.

“Some issues transcend politics, such as the sanctity of life,” he said. “Reagan said there is right and wrong, and said “No” to abortion.”

Our family is really excited about Tom Leppert running for Senate. I know we’re not the only ones fed up with business-as-usual in Washington D.C. Mayor Leppert put his business background to work as Mayor by spending wisely, keeping taxes low, and making sure government ran efficiently. Doesn’t that sound like exactly what we need in the Senate right now?